Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi holds opening ceremony of Chinese class for Foreign Ministry officials

On November 4th (local time), members of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi Cultural Experience Center joined together to sing the respective national anthems of Kenya and China, after which Confucius Institute volunteers gave a dance performance of The Land of Ceremony, thereby kicking off the opening ceremony of the Chinese language class for Kenyan Foreign Ministry officials.

This Chinese language class for Foreign Ministry officials is part of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi’s “Chinese for Special Purpose” project. The project is led in part by the Chinese Embassy in Kenya, Foreign Service Institute of Kenya and University of Nairobi, with the aim of creating new paths for the promotion of Chinese language and culture through Confucius Institute.

More than 70 people took part in the event, including Confucius Institute instructors, volunteers and Foreign Ministry officials. Representative of Kenyan Foreign Minister Mr. Benson Ogutu, University of Nairobi Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Prof. H. W. Mutoro, and Chinese Ambassador in Kenya Mr. Liu Xianfa participated in the opening ceremony.

At the event

Mr. Ogutu said in his speech that he hoped all Foreign Ministry officials registered in the class could take advantage of this learning platform and work hard in their studies of the Chinese language, and stated that upon completion of the program a number of excellent students would have the opportunity to continue their studies in China.

Representative of Foreign Affairs Minister Mr. Benson Ogutu giving a speech

University of Nairobi Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Mr. H. W. Mutoro said that Chinese class for Foreign Affairs officials presented by the Nairobi CI could not have come at a better time, and expressed his wishes that the CI would use this opportunity to promote knowledge of the Chinese language, as well as the cultural exchange and fusion between the two countries. The University of Nairobi shall provide strong support to all of the CI’s projects. Mr. Mutoro thanked the Foreign Service Institute of Kenya and Chinese Embassy in Kenya for their support to the CI.

University of Nairobi Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic Affairs) Mr. H. W. Mutoro giving a speech

Ambassador Liu Xianfa said that, over the past several years, China and Kenya have undertaken many collaborations together, and China’s investment in Kenya has increased year by year. In terms of cultural education and exchange, he was pleased to see that the Chinese language education of Confucius Institute was “becoming more and more spectacular”.

Chinese Ambassador in Kenya Mr. Liu Xianfa giving a speech

Foreign Service Institute of Kenya President Mr. Simon Nabukwesi mentioned that China and Kenya have worked closely together, and that the future development of Kenyan foreign affairs would focus on language skills. He thanked the Nairobi CI for revising their education plan to fit the special needs of the local population, and for providing these customized classes.

Ambassador Liu Xianfa offering a book as a gift to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

In the language class for the day, local CI teacher Ruth taught the students some basic Chinese.

Ruth giving a class

A group photo

The Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi’s “Chinese for Special Purpose” began from a collaboration between the CI and the Serena Group in 2014, after which the CI began holding classes for Kenyan banks, immigration offices, customs and other parties. Not only do they serve numerous government organizations and local enterprises, they have also greatly enriched their own class system, so as to build a firm foundation for the Chinese language education program of the Confucius Institute at the University of Nairobi.